Re: Which Knives to choose: Wusthof, Henkel, MAC

Sat Mar 01, 2014 5:20 am

I'd say your best bet is to try the Fujiwara FKM in gyuto form, get a single waterstone for sharpening and a good cutting board, and see what you think. Definitely hand wash: I don't put any nice knives in the dishwasher.

I will go against the grain a little bit though and offer one other possible suggestion. Let me preface this by saying a Fujiwara is by no means fragile, and I'd have no qualms for using one to cut just about anything short of bones/frozen food. But if you really want something sturdier and heavier, then that is a valid preference, and you might want to check out the Messermeister Meridian series: http://www.chefknivestogo.com/messermei ... idian.html These are in the Wusthof/Henckels class, but often seem to be preferred among those who know about them.

The Fujiwara will perform better for most applications (thinner, harder steel), but the Messermeister would still be a big step up from what you have. If the weightyness/sturdyness issue is weighing heavily on your mind, then it is something to consider. If not, then buy the Fujiwara and enjoy it.

Re: Which Knives to choose: Wusthof, Henkel, MAC

Sat Mar 01, 2014 5:47 am

thank you everyone for your help. i am 90% sure i am going to Tojiro. i am considering the suggested 3pc set but i dont really use a big knife like the 8" gyuto. i would mostly use the 150mm utility knife. wouldnt hurt to have it around though.

quick question on the victorinox knife set. would you go serrated or non serrated?

Re: Which Knives to choose: Wusthof, Henkel, MAC

Sat Mar 01, 2014 11:55 am

eclipse31satx wrote:thank you everyone for your help. i am 90% sure i am going to Tojiro. i am considering the suggested 3pc set but i dont really use a big knife like the 8" gyuto. i would mostly use the 150mm utility knife. wouldnt hurt to have it around though.

quick question on the victorinox knife set. would you go serrated or non serrated?

The Tojiro 3 piece set is a good set that will last a long time, I think you would find overtime a 8in (210) Gyuto is not very big once you get used to it. And I would pick the Tojiro every time over the Victorinox, it's not that the victorinox are bad, it's just that the Tojiro is a better knife, The VG 10 is a harder steel and will retain its edge longer than the Victorinox.

But if you're set on the Victorinox, which are still a quality entry-level knife, I would go with the plane smooth edge over the serrated, maintenance and sharpening is just so much easier.

Re: Which Knives to choose: Wusthof, Henkel, MAC

Sat Mar 01, 2014 1:00 pm

Hi Hutch, thank you for your reply. the Tojio were suggested as the knives to use for food prep and the Victoinox were suggested to get for Steak Knives. If Tojiro also has steak knives i would like to get those also but i dont see them listed on the site.

Re: Which Knives to choose: Wusthof, Henkel, MAC

Sat Mar 01, 2014 1:08 pm

The 8" Tojiro is the smallest that I recommend you start with. The same goes for any Chef style knife. Most find that they prefer a knife closer to 10" after getting comfortable with them. When I first thought of switching over from 8" to 10" I thought it would be like the difference between a sword and a knife. But in reality it only took a few minutes to not notice at all the extra length.

Re: Which Knives to choose: Wusthof, Henkel, MAC

Sat Mar 01, 2014 1:44 pm

eclipse31satx wrote:Hi Hutch, thank you for your reply. the Tojio were suggested as the knives to use for food prep and the Victoinox were suggested to get for Steak Knives. If Tojiro also has steak knives i would like to get those also but i dont see them listed on the site.

Re: Which Knives to choose: Wusthof, Henkel, MAC

Sat Mar 01, 2014 9:11 pm

Re: prior comment about mac pro perhaps not being very sturdy:

For me, the mac pro gyuto (chef) feels about the same as Victornox in terms of weight/heft/spine thickness. Blade profiles are a bit different, but not too far off. And I consider mac pros on the heavyweight/beefier end of the spectrum for japanese knives.

The mac pro (and the masamoto VG, which usually goes hand in hand in discussion of yo handled SS gyuto knives since they are at the same price point, come from larger Japanese manufacturers, and perform similarly) is a great knife and certainly not what I consider as delicate by japanese knife standards. I would say to the contrary - I will put up with more abuse than most japanese knives. Probably not quite as much as German/German-like counterparts (Victornox/Forsch, Messers, Wusty) due to edge angles and inherit type and treatments on SS.

That said, I personally feel the Mac Pros (and the Masa VGs) are a bit overpriced compared to similar knives around. Same thing happened to Misono UX10 in the last few years.

I own a masamoto VG. In retrospect, I wish I had gone with a Fuji FK series in either stainless or carbon, Kohetsu or Richmond (AEB-L) in yo handle, or jump up a bit (but still less than the Mac Pro and Masa) to a Hiromoto or Takamura Migaki. I am still trying to wrap my head around a Migaki 240mm gyuto in R2 steel at slightly less than the Mac Pro or Masa VG..